Stop Throwing Out Your Pasta Water—Do This Instead

The starchy water left behind after boiling pasta is a beautiful thing. If you’re smart, you reserve it for adding body to soups or to create a luscious sauce. What about those times, though, when you’re not making pasta, but you wish you had some starchy pasta water for that exact reason?

Cook’s Illustrated recently shared a hack for freezing leftover pasta water and it had people buzzing, including questions like Why not just make some pasta? or Why not use other methods for thickening? Of course you can do those things, but this hack is for when you don’t want to make a roux or a slurry. Or as the reader who provided the tip said, it’s helpful for when you accidentally toss the pasta water. Touché.

How to Freeze Pasta Water

You have two options when it comes to freezing your pasta water. The first option is to freeze it as it is and the second option is to reduce it. Reducing it will concentrate the starch, but also the salt, so keep that in mind when you’re deciding between the two. Either way, allow the water to cool completely before pouring into molds. If possible, cover the tray and freeze on a flat surface. 

Which Freezing Container to Use 

Luckily there are plenty of great ice cube trays that will work for this hack. I recommend you choose a silicone version, which makes popping out cubes an easy versus annoying task. I like trays of varying sizes too. Some brands sell smaller, tablespoon-size wells or even 1-ounce wells. If you plan on reducing your pasta water, then a tray with 1-ounce wells is a good choice.

How to Store Frozen Pasta Water 

You might be tempted to leave your frozen pasta water in the tray, but don’t. Once the cubes are fully frozen, transfer them to a resealable bag. This frees up room in your freezer and allows you to quickly grab what you need, when you need it. Label the bag with what’s inside, along with the date so that you’re never left wondering. Speaking of wondering. If you’re curious about how long those frozen pasta water cubes will last, we recommend using them within 6 months. 

The Bottom Line: Is This Hack Worth Trying? 

If you have space in the freezer and you’re often wishing you had saved a bit more pasta water, then give this hack a try. It can be an easy way to add body to sauces and soups, without any extra work.